A gas turbine engine typically includes a fan section, a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section. Air entering the compressor section is compressed and delivered into the combustion section where it is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate a high-speed exhaust gas flow. The high-speed exhaust gas flow expands through the turbine section to drive the compressor and the fan section.
The compressor section and the turbine section each include rotor blades and vanes positioned in multiple arrays. During operation of the gas turbine engine, the arrays of rotor blades and vanes are subjected to rotational and thermal stresses. This is particularly true in the aft rotor stages of the compressor section, which experience high levels of heat due to the amount of compression taking place on the air passing through the compressor section. Therefore, the aft rotor stages of the compressor section may require cooling air to withstand the elevated temperatures of the compressed air. However, cooling the aft rotor stages requires cooling air to be bled off of the engine which decreases the efficiency of the gas turbine engine. Therefore, there is a need to improve the ability of the aft rotor stages of the compressor to withstand rotational loads and elevated air temperatures.